DEFENSE CLAMPS DOWN IN 70-40 VICTORY OVER BLUEFIELD

BOX SCORE RADFORD, Va. – Radford used smothering defense to force 30 turnovers, which was converted into 23 points, to lead the Highlanders to a 70-40 win over visiting Bluefield College in women's basketball action at the Dedmon Center Sunday evening.

“First off, I want to give Bluefield a lot of credit,” head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba said. “They were scrappy in the early stages of the game and proved why they were unbeaten coming into today. Our girls hung in there and turned up the defensive intensity, which translated into fast-break opportunities.”

The Rams (6-0), who played this contest as an exhibition (thus not counting against their record), entered Sunday averaging 75.7 points per game and winning by an average of 19.7 points per outing. Radford's defense was up to the challenge, however, holding the visitors to 30 percent shooting from the floor (15-50), which is well below their season average (40.2).

After falling behind 9-2 nearly five minutes in, a Sarah Tabb layup at the 14:27 mark initiated a 13-2 surge capped by an Ashley Buckhannon 3-pointer to propel Radford ahead, 15-11, midway through the opening stanza.

Sharonda Tate buried a baseline jumper at the 6:47 mark to trim Bluefield's deficit to three (22-19), but Ayana Avery canned a shot from downtown on the next trip down the court for the Highlanders (2-1), sparking a 14-2 half-closing run to cushion the advantage to 15 (36-21) at halftime.

Coming out of the locker room, Buckhannon turned up the heat inside the Dedmon Center connecting on three triples and a fast-break deuce within the first four minutes of the second half to extend the Highlanders' lead to 47-23.

Radford grabbed its largest lead of the contest after Katherine Brockett drained back-to-back treys and Diani Mason converted a pair of free throws for a 36-point spread (68-32) with 5:42 remaining.

In addition to its stifling defense, Radford's offense was not too shabby either. The Highlanders connected on a season-high 43.1 percent (25-58) of their shots, including a sizzling 50 percent in the first half.

3-point land was also generous to the hosts, as they made 10-of-17 (58.8 percent) from behind the arc. The 10 treys were the most by Radford since March 2, 2012 when it hung 10 against Liberty inside the Vines Center. RU also won the battle of the boards, 40-32, and shot 83.3 percent (10-12) from the charity stripe.

Buckhannon led the way in the scoring column for the Highlanders with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep. The Wytheville, Va. native also contributed eight rebounds. Avery poured in 14 off the bench, while also going 4-of-6 from downtown.

“Ashley and Ayana shot lights out today from behind the arc,” commented Ngongba. “We will need that 3-point presence heading to Miami.”

Sarah Tabb narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Da'Naria Erwin Spencer dished out a game-high six dimes.

Tequila McNeal, an All-American Honorable Mention selection a season ago, and Ashley White charted eight points apiece to pace the Rams' offense.

The Highlanders will practice for a few days before hopping on a plane bound for Coral Gables, Fla. and the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament. Radford opens with Southern Illinois Friday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. inside the BankUnited Center. The host and 23rd-ranked Hurricanes battle Florida Atlantic in the first game at 5:00 p.m.

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